Work feeding attachments for sewing machines



July 12, 1960 M. WATERMAN 2,944,497

woRK FEEDING ATTACHMENTS FOR sswmc MACHINES Filed July 15, 1957 Fig.4. INVENTOR.

Max L. Waterman 'WORK FEEDING A'I'IACHMENIS FOR SEWING r MACHENES Max L. Waterman, Fair-field; Conn, assignmto The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey r Filed July 15, 1957, Ser. No. 671,799

1 Claim.".(Cl. 112--'212) a This invention relates to sewing machines and {more particularly to attachments for sewing machinmgof the so-called cylinder bed van'ety in which the work' support of the sewing machine isin the form of a free ended horn upon which tubular articles may be accommodated.

Cylinder bed. sewing machines are most cornmonly pro vided with work feeding'mechanisms which operate to carry a work fabric across the. cylinder bedofthemaq. chine. The majority of sewing operations'to beperformed on a cylinder bedfsewing machine involve applying stitches to a previously formed tubular articleffonwhich pur-g .pose an across-the-ann-feed is essential. Another stitching operation, howeven-which is peculiarly within the capabilities of a cylinder bed sewing machine involves the formation of a tubular article from a flat piece of a sewing machine attachment of the type having a top feeding mechanism. 1

It is an object of this invention to provide a sewing machine attachment having a top feeding mechanism with means for securing the attachment to a cylinder bed sewing machine so as to feed a work fabric up the work supporting arm toward the bracket-arm standard or off of the free end of the cylinder bed.

Fora more detailed description of the invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents a front elevational view of a sewing machine having an attachment applied thereto in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a reduced left end elevational view of a portion of the sewing machine and attachment of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents an enlar tachment and,

Fig. 4 represents an enlarged left of the attachment fastening means.

As illustrated in the drawing, 11 indicates generally a sewing machine having acylinder bed ,12 which is adapted to accommodate tubular articles. The sewing ed top plan viewof the atmachine illustrated in the drawingis of the type described .in greater detail in the copending U.S. patent application f of Perla, Serial No. 565,122, filed Feb. 13, 1956, to which reference maybe had to gain a complete understanding of the constructive features of the machine. Of' particular concern to the present invention is the needle side elevational view 2,944,497 Patented July 12, 1960 =I'bar 13'of the sewingmachine which is journaled for endwise reciprocation in the bracket arm 14. Secured to the lower extremity of the needle bar is a needle'clamp ice 15 which accommodates a needle 16 secured therein by,

means of a needleclamp screw 17.

Also journaled in the bracket arm for endwise movement is a spring biased presser bar 18 formed at its lower extremity with'a slabbed seat v19 adapted to accommodate a conventional presscr foot which is not used with the present invention. A knurled thumb screw 20 threaded into the presser bar serves in the conventional use of the'machine to'clamp a apresser foot to the presser bar.

The sewing machine is fitted with an organized work feeding mechanism (not shown) capable of advancing a 16 work fabric acrossthecylinder 'bed 12. With thepresent invention, the organizedwork feeding device of thesewa ing machine is not used and, therefore, a feed cover plate is applied-on the-cylinderbed in place of the usual. throat plate. The feed cover plate is somewhat thicker- 20jthan the usualthroat plate and renders the-work feed ing device' of the sewingmachine ineffective. On these sewing machines which are equipped with feed dog throw-out devices the 'useof a feed not be essential.

V As best illustrated in dicated generally as; israpplied to the sewing machine.

The attachment 30, is a work jogging attachment fitted with .a top feedingmechauism and is a modified form 1 ofathat attachment ,'.illustrated and described in the U.S. 30 patentlo'f Ut'z, No.,'2,6 52,01'5, Sept. 15, 1953, towhich reference' may be had. for acornplete disclosure eithe details ofconstruction; of the attachment.

The attachment 30 in its. conventional form as disclosed in ,theUtn patent is providedfwith a clamping member '35 welded or otherwise permanently formed asa part of the i attachment name and adaptedto be secured directly to. 'thepresslertbar seat 19 by the knurled th'umb'screw 2.0 so as to. mount, the attachment onthepresser bar inposhl tionto 'feed a work fabric across the work supporting bed of the. sewing machine, that is, to feed the work in the same direction as the work would be fed by the conventional organized feeding mechanism of the sewing machine. The attachment is capable of jogging a work fabric transversely of the direction of feed of the work and thus as mounted on the sewing machine in its conventional form the attachment can zigzag the work as it is fed across the work supporting bed. In the present invention, the presser bar clamping mem ber of the attachment as disclosed in the Utz patent has been removed from the attachment frame and in its place the attachment frame has been formed with an upstanding flange 31 drilled for the reception of a pair of fastening screws 32 which secure the flange 31 to one extremity of an adapter bracket 33 formed at its other extremity with a socket 34 which accommodates the.

slabbe'd seat 19 of the sewing machine presser bar.

The socket 34 in the adapteribracket is drilled to receive the knurled thumb screw 20 by which the adapter bracket and thus the attachment is secured'to the sewing machine in a position at right angles to the conventional arrange- I ment of this type of attachment on a sewing machine;

I The attachment 30' includes an actuating lever 35' of which the free extremity is bifurcated so that in its conventional application to a sewing machine, as dis- 1 closed in the above referred to Utz patent, the actuating lever embraces the shank of the needle clamp screw 17.

cover plate would j 1 and 2, an attachment, ini In the present inventionan extension piece 36 is clamped, I V by a set screw 3-7,to the needle clarnp15. The extension piece 36 is formed with a pin 38 extending at right angles 'to the shank of the needle clamp: screwl'l. As best actuating lever '35 so that-the attachment will be actuated in the conventional fashion by the reciprocatory movement of the needle bar in the new position of the attachment in this invention.

be formed after the fashion ofhighly' special purposefeed-up-or feedoff the-arm sewing'machinessimply by the use-of an easily and quicklyapplied-attachment.

The-present'invention' thushas utility =with-plain stitching (non-Zigzag) cylinder bed machines in-sewing either straight seams in the production oftubular articles 'or in sewing Zigzag seams,'the -zigzag stitching beingformediby usingthe work jogging mechanism-of--the attachment.

When the attachment is applied to azigzag stitching sewing machinefs uch as is illustrated in the drawing, then the jogging ofjthe needle-maybe-combinedwith jogging of the work by the attachment toproduce, in addition to those seams'poss'ible on a plain stitching machine an endless variety of highly ornamental, patterns o'f'stitches.

The combined effect ofthe. jogging, of the work in one, direction and the jogging of the sewing machine needle. at right, angles thereto, provides for ornamental stitching eifects not 'heretoforexattainabl e. When the. attachment is applied to azigzag sewing machine, as illustrated in the. drawings, .one additional modification of the attach: ment over that disclosed in the Utz patent is necessary. The needle opening 41. in the work. jogging foot of the attachment must be enlarged over that of the Utzpatentdisclosure so as to accommodate both the movement of the work jogging foot .as Well as the jogging movement of the needle. A, needle opening, 41, such as j that illustrated in ,Fig. 3, will accommodate .all relative movement of the needle with respect-to; the Workjogging foot.

, oscillating said' attachment actuating member when the Having thus described the nature of the invention, what I'claimherein is:

In combination, a sewing nnachine having a cylinder bed with an organized work feeding mechanism arranged to feed a work fabric across the cylinder bed, a bracket arm overhanging and substantially parallel to said cylinder bed, a needle bar journaled' forendwise reciprocation in said bracket arm, a. presserbar journaled-r. inzzsaid bracket arm, said needle and presser bars being journaled on substantially parallel axes, said parallel axes contained, within a vertical plane parallel tothedirection of. feed or said'work'feeding mechanism across-the cylinder be d, an attachment having a top feeding device capable of advancing ajworkfabric continually inza. predetermined direction relatively to said attachment, an actuating member on said attachmentfor operating said top feeding device upon oscillation of said actuating member, an attachment fastening bracket, means for securingsaid attachment fastening bracket to said attachment and to said sewingma'chine pr'esser bar to secure said attachment to said sewing machine with the predetermined directionof feed ofsaid WOI'k' feeding device of-the'attachment occurring" substantially perpendicular to that of the, organized-*workfeeding mechanism of: the sewing machine, and means operatively connecting said sewing machine needle bar-with said attachment actuating member for attachment is secured on said 'presser bar by said attachment. fasteningbracket.

ReferencesCited 'in the file of; this patent UNITED STATES, PATENTS 1 17203 Pitt July I8, 1871 I 422,558 Whitmore M-ar.'4, 1890- 26'5'2,0l5- 'Utz Sept. '15, 19 53 2,756,703 Perla et'a'l July 31,1956.

FOREIGN PATENTS 244,476 Germany 'Mar. 11, I912;

668,071 Germany N0v.2 5, 19.38 

